The Journey Home Foundation Announces 2013-2014 Challenge to Help Eradicate Human Sex Trafficking and Rehabilitate Young Victims

July 5, 2013 / New York, New York, USA -- The Journey Home Foundation (JHF), a sex-trafficking prevention program, educational training center, and emergency shelter network for girls at high risk, is asking for public help in meeting a series of challenges to support its mission and help to eradicate human trafficking.

The mission of The Journey Home Foundation is to prevent at-risk Nepali girls and women from being kidnapped and turned into sex slaves, and to rescue those who have already suffered the trauma of being trafficked. The Journey Home Foundation provides education, job training, housing, and medical support.

Proceeds from The Journey Home Foundation’s 2013 Gala Event To Eradicate Human Trafficking held in April in Mill Valley, California, were used to provide sewing machines, a water tank, and solar panels for the organization’s first shelter for rescued girls located in Kathmandu, Nepal. JHF now needs to raise $200,000 by December 2014 to fund a 4-story shelter and training center that will accommodate 40 girls at a time, and up to 120 a year. A 4-wheel drive van is also needed for rescues.

Jennifer Walker of Art Brokerage, Inc. and Diana Vachier of American Pop Art, Inc. have joined forces to support The Journey Home Foundation. American Pop Art, Inc., a virtual gallery at www.americanpopartinc.com exclusively dedicated to Steve Kaufman art, had contributed to the JHF gala’s silent auction “4 Marilyns,” a limited edition Marilyn Monroe pop art painting chosen to encourage empowerment.

“I love working with Journey Home because it is a direct, personal and intimate experience,” said Jennifer Walker, broker at www.ArtBrokerage.com and board member at JHF. “The idea that any child is denied the right to education is abhorrent to me. Rescuing and educating these girls can save families and villages.”

In 2012, JHF prevented more than 40 girls from signing up with criminals selling opportunities for "domestic work" abroad under false pretenses. These enterprises, run by con men, open in the different villages for just four months at a time to evade the law. These shops take over 200,000 girls a year into the sex-trade business. Some families even pay to send their girls, age six and up, believing they will work in a fine hotel or home.

In February 2013, JHF opened a shelter in Kathmandu where girls can reside, seek adult education through Manasalu its partner school, and learn valued skills. Sewing and cooking classes run from three to nine months. Upon graduation, girls can open their own shops. Funding helps to provide sewing machines, tables, measuring tapes, calculators, phones, and more for them to operate their business.

The Journey Home Foundation currently has a 20-person waiting list and is now seeking one-year sponsorships for those who graduate. Volunteers are also needed. The organization is accepting donated tablets and mobile phones with long battery life because communications can be very difficult in remote villages. A trip to provide medical and dental care is also planned.

JHF hopes to establish six more homes within the next four years in key locations along the India border. Staff members will work with border agents, Nepali police, and other groups to coordinate rescue missions, public awareness campaigns, and community education.

Above photo caption: More than 40 women have been rehabilitated as part of The Journey Home Foundation’s program to rescue victims and prevent human sex trafficking.

Above, Steve Kaufman’s Marilyn Monroe pop art painting titled “4 Marilyns” was chosen for contribution to The Journey Home Foundation and its mission to prevent Nepali girls and women from being kidnapped and turned into sex slaves. Photo by Sandra Cannon of SF Bay Images.

Above, Students participate in sewing and cooking classes, and learn valued skills at a Nepali flat as part of The Journey Home Foundation’s program to help rehabilitate women sought by sex traffickers.

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